Does what parents think really matter?

One thing that I think it’s really important for all parents to know is that research has shown that parents play a large part in their child’s developing self-esteem and in the way they respond to peer pressure. This is important for us to know! It means that we’re not powerless, not just pawns in the game played by media, destined to respond in just the way they’d most like. Understanding this fact is the key to understanding that you can help your child move from someone who conforms to the images presented by media to someone who transforms, first their own views, and then the views of those around them. To begin our journey in helping our children be agents of change in this world, we first have to know that we are important in this process.

A study done by Neilson (2009) showed that teens’ favorite television shows, websites, and genre preferences across media are almost exactly the same as those of their parents. Yes, children tend to choose to watch the shows that we watch, look at the sites that we visit, and so forth. That’s powerful!